Monday, June 1, 2009

Altseer Arabic Food Supply & Little Korea

Korean stone BBQ

Ampang is an area well known for its large number of Korean expatriates. Koreans in Malaysia have opened restaurants, churches, and grocery stores there, specifically in the area around Ampang Point. We recently went to little Korea, in search of Galbi.

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Although called BBQ, Korean BBQ is actually grilled. Bulgogi is thinly sliced beef (or pork or chicken) marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and chili pepper, cooked on a grill at the table. It is a main course, and is therefore served with rice and side dishes such as Kimchi. Bulgogi literally means "fire meat."
Bulgogi is nice, but I find it too salty in Malaysia. The sauce just gets too heavy after a while.

Korean stone BBQ1
My preference is always Galbi. Galbi is marinated or unmarinated red meat with fat that sizzles once you cook in on the hot plate. In this case, it was hot stone.

Galbi has to be washed down with Soju. Soju is usually drunk in group gatherings while eating, unmixed and portioned into individual shot glasses. It is against traditional custom in Korea to fill one's own glass. Instead, it must be filled by someone else at the table. This promotes a spirit of 'thoughtfulness and camaraderie'.

What? Wait? This takes too long.. wails ciki.

When I am in Seoul at dinner, I always have to sit patiently and exercise 'thoughtfulness and camaraderie', when in reality all I want to do is to kick my dozing colleague in the shins to get him to pour me another shot. Oey! Wake up! (Just kidding.. my Korean colleagues are really actually rather vigilant and if anyone needs to be kicked in the shins, that would be moi.. yes! I am slow.. neglectful even .. so why can't they just serve soju in beer mugs, huh? why?)


Korean stone BBQ3

I use to hate Kimchi. It smells like Cumi's day old basketball socks left out in the rain. Kimchi is a traditional Korean pickled dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings. Its most common manifestation is of the cabbage variety and is the most common side dish at the Korean BBQ.

I hated it , hated it, hated it..... then one day... BAM! I loved it!
(Don't ask me how the transition occurred. It just did. And now I am a Kimchi fan. I truly am).

I like wrapping my BBQ meat in Green leafy cabbage with one layer of sizzling fatty Medium rare beef and tonnes of kimchi and stuffing the whole damn thing into my mouth. Gorgeous.

Traditionally, the greatest varieties of kimchi were available during the winter. In preparation for the long winter months they were stored in the ground in large kimchi pots. Women often gather together in each others' homes to help with winter kimchi preparations... hmm i wonder if they went home smelling like Kimchi after toiling over that large old pot. How sexy. "Darling get ur cute lil kimchi ass over here... rite now!"

Anyway, one other thing I noticed when I was in Seoul was how my colleagues use to take photos and shout "kimchi" ! in the same way as English speakers tend to use the word "cheese". (So I guess in Malaysia they should really shout "durian" or "belacan"!.. right, since its so bloody smelly).

I told another Korean friend I liked kimchi. She said "what kind?" , and proceeded to name 50 different subtypes of Kimchi and that's when I realised that I was truly out of my depth.

Man, these Koreans I tell ya.. they really do love their Kimchi.


Korean stone BBQ2

At Go Rae Jung, the food is really just so-so. We found the service hap hazard and the waiters were tripping over themselves (and I don't mean metaphorically, but literally). Clumsy.

Anyway, a huge must for me at any Korean BBQ, is always the Tongue...

Which reminds me of some really funny cow tongue-in-cheek i read the other day:

All I Need to Know About Life, I Learned from a Cow...
1. Wake up in a happy mooo-d.

2. Don't cry over spilled milk.

3. Turn the udder cheek and mooo-ve on.

4. Seize every opportunity and milk it for all its worth!

5. It's better to be seen and not herd.

6. Honor thy fodder and thy mother and all your udder
relatives.

7. Never take any bull from anybody.

8. Don't forget to cow-nt your blessings every day.

And last but not least...


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9. When in udder rage, bite your tongue!

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Well, the food was bordering on lousy here - the right photo is a picture of ultra soggy glass noodles, and I therefore recommend you try the Korean in the older parts of Korean Town. We will probably go back to our usual haunts after this.


Altseer Arabic Food Supply

One hidden gem we did find though, was this Arabic Food Supply outlet called Altseer. The food is 100% halal and the olive bar is to die for! I had a field day picking out tonnes of fresh olives for me and my mom. Cumi doesn't like olives .. so, more for me I say!

What else.

New Folder
The men at this Arabic Food Outlet are really tall, dark and handsome. I am talking male model material here. They have luminous, flawless, ebony skin and are pleasant and friendly and smile all the time! See the photo:)

What else.


Ah, Baklava. We bought loads. Don't buy these if you don't like your desserts Flaky, Milky, Creamy and Honey sweet! My love affair with the Phyllo will never end! They also stock excellent non-alcoholic beer here. Moussy Beer from Switzerland. The guy just popped one for us to try on the spot. I told you he was nice. I didn't think I would hear the day I say this but it was really rather good - tastes just like beer! Minus the buzz. But the bitter, fizzy beer taste.. that's all 100% there! Amazing. Weird almost.

Back to PJ, cradling my Olives and Phyllo.. and non alcoholic beer .. a great day out I tell ya!


THE END.

27 comments:

Bobo said...

I just love the 9 pointers on LIFE! Cheers!!!

Mellie said...

I like the lembu philosophy a lot :D

Life for Beginners said...

"Man, these Koreans I tell ya.. they really do love their Kimchi."

So I hear. *chuckles*

Me? I've not quite transitioned yet. The wonders of Kimchi are still alien to me. O for the wonder a comely Korean lady shall reveal her manifold secrets to me... the secret of the kimchi, I mean, not the lady. Ahem.

backStreetGluttons said...

My ! those flowing words of deli from you are really a mouthful which keep dropping off our tongues and so that is still why after all these years we still think Korean food and wine is little brother Jap cuisine as indeed we were drunk before without Korean women.While Tall dark invisible handsome ebony halal models really make us nervous

qwazymonkey said...

How come you can find so many things one? Very adventurous lah you.

And yes, I do not understand what's the fascination with Kimchi. I love Korean BBQ and all the little condiments that comes with it...but Kimchi's like, like...so eeeyer (apologies to all the Koreans reading this, you might think the same thing of our glorious Sambal Tumis)

Sugar Bean said...

The glass noodles definitely look soggy, so unappetising. Would avoid that. Yeah, we love kimchi a lot too. We made that a few times at home, it was quite easy and quite fun doing it!

J2Kfm said...

LOL. thanks for lifting my mood this Monday morn. let me pour you some .... (dont kick me down there ...)

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

i hope u still hate cumi day old basketball socks..hahaha...

happy moo n day...

Selba said...

50 different subtypes of kimchi? Wow!!! I didn't know that there're so many kind.

Love to learn to be a cow! hehehe...

Ah... you made me miss baklava!

Ciki said...

bobo:
i love it too!

mellie:
same same

LFB:
the kimchi.. not the lady! haha , cute:P

bsg:
why they make u nervous? nice wat.. such huge smiles and white teeth!

Qmonkey:
u hvnt eatn korean wiv C&C yet, dats why.. we'll make u a believer:P

SB:
wow, neat! didja burry it in a huge ole pot in the garden to ferment?! (kidding) but wow, that's really cool - teach me sometime!

j2kfm:
i would never kick u! lol.. just keep pouring;)

joe:
ROFL .. ! took me a while to get what u were sayn but yes! i still hate the smell of wet socks... but now, i do love kimchi :D


selba:
actually i think there are 100rds la.. like kimchi extra spicy, kimchi medium garlic.. etc etc...

baklava... mmmmmmmmm

kennhyn said...

non-alcoholic beer is getting more and more popular. Even in brozeit singapore, their top seller is actually the Paulaner non-alcoholic beer...

UnkaLeong said...

We go for Korean food a little closer to home? SS2 oni. Need more peeps so we can sample more of the menu. Get your cuz to come along? *winks*wink*

I think it's the exposure to aforementioned socks, das why you luurrve kimchi now.

Ciki said...

kennhyn:
really.. mmmm, taste is good huh? but sometimes you need the real thing too;)

unka:
very farnee:P yayayar... i will NEVER get use to smelly socks so there ! hah!

Rebecca Saw said...

absolutely hates kimchi...but hey if ya can be convert mayb me too? ;p

"When in udder rage, bite your tongue!"
oh yes..this i must master!

thule a.k.a leo said...

it's not the same without kimchi... the last time I went to Korea, I remembered having lots and lots of this traditional dish. As a matter of fact, I had some kimchi yesterday at Ko Hyang at The Garden Mid Valley :) also their bibimbap too!!!
Not bad as the ingredients are fresh... my only complain?? The bibimbap is served using stainless steel bowl instead of hot stone bowl.

foodbin said...

a truly good, eye opener and interesting post-love it!

email2me said...

Beer without alchohol = vegetarian beer? lol .... feel weird when gawking down.

Bangsar-bAbE said...

I like getting my fix from the Korean places in Mon't Kiara...food's quite good there! And the Moussy Beer...very weird, but I'd so want to try it! =)

Julian Si said...

Old basketball sox ... eeeeeeeeeew! I STILL don't like kimchi , alas :-(

HairyBerry said...

aiyoooo, u the creatively moo-tivated one, u! it takes a mootivated one to mootivate the lazy cows like me. am definitely looking forward to some good Korean/Arabic food soon. bring me there la.... :D

Rarebeet said...

HAHAHHAHA so funny your cow jokes! Amp def no shortage on good korean food. I have a feeling you are only eating korean so you can drink soju righttttt? ;-)

Ciki said...

TNG:
ditto dat!

thule:
wow, u really luv ur korean:)

foodbin:
TQ!

email2me:
yea. but the taste is not half bad

bbabe:
tell me bout it!

Jules:
where you are going, they won't have any :P

nic:
stop saying bring me thr la.. when you're not back for me to bring.. saja tok kok sing song:P

paprika:
totally. u see right through me:P

choi yen said...

Kimchi is useful ler, can cook soup, fried rice, cook with pork, blah blah blah~~ :)

worldwindows said...

I wish the food is as smooth as the prose though the non-alc beer comes close!

sc said...

hahaha what a story! i love 'em tongues too and have it grilled, wrapped in lettuce (and garlic) and stuff it all in. too bad the ones you had was not that good..at least the arabic shop makes up for it

jencooks said...

I am cownting when to eat kimchi again and moo.. we had korean stew tonite. Yes, I heard of Ampang good korean stuff, nice outing.

Ciki said...

mimi:
at least u can cook really well! experiment ahead:D

WW:
agree!

SC:
i agree.. it's gr8 whn exploring pays off i tell ya

jen:
yea. when ru back?!